Jabs and Jams #1: Music Fighters Train To – Evinger, Black, Valimaki
MMA fighters are always going full bore with arduous training. Motivation can fluctuate on a day-to-day basis but music is a sure-fire means to conjure up those feelings. The fuel to push through those last few reps, that last 100 meters of your run, or that last sparring session of the day. These euphoric feelings can come from genres of all types and fighters sure train to some eclectic tunes. This is Jabs and Jams: Music Fighters Train To.
Music Fighters Train To
Tonya Evinger
“I like the older school country from when I was like a kid. I like that kind of stuff. I’m big on like Christian music all of sudden, which is weird, but it’s pretty similar to country. I get teased a lot. Obviously here in Texas even though you think everyone listens to country, they don’t. Everyone wants to listen to rap, some hip hop all that kind of stuff. It’s just not my style. I can listen to anything but I just like country better. Completely opposite of my image actually. Usually, I’ll be listening to it when I’m warming up or training and people are just like ‘how the hell can you even work out to this music?’ It just gets me going, man.”
Robin Black
“Forgotten Rebels was in there. I love those guys. I’m a big fan of those guys….When Teenage Head did a show in honor of Frankie, I got up on-stage and did a couple of songs with them. It was a great honor. I didn’t know The Viletones that much back then but I’ve since heard a lot of their stuff. As you get into the 90’s in Toronto on Queen Street, you’re going to hear it and see how influential they were…Vancouver had some really good punk stuff but I kind of came along a little bit after that to be honest. It was much more of a glitter punk kind of thing that I dd with my band.”
Victor Valimaki
“I listen to lots of different stuff. My favorite band’s probably Kings of Leon. It’s a little more relaxed. A lot of fighters I know, they’re not cranking heavy music all the time. They’re pretty relaxed guys. I listen to just about everything. Pretty relaxed stuff, more so. The way I am, I’m very relaxed. Like half the time I’m taking a nap before they call me out (to the cage).”
Music Fighters Train To. Transcriptions courtesy of Bowks Talking Bouts
